Two JR Motorsports drivers — prolific rookie Connor Zilisch and defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier — already have qualified for the Championship 4 on points.
Two other JRM drivers, though, are locked in a close battle for the final Championship 4 berth as the series moves to Martinsville Speedway for Saturday’s IAA & Ritchie Bros. 250 (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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Carson Kvapil arrives at the legendary 0.526-mile short track 11 points above the cutline, leading teammate Sammy Smith by that margin entering the event that will set the field for the Nov. 1 title race at Phoenix Raceway.
If past performance is any indication, Smith has an edge in the elimination race. In six starts at Martinsville, the No. 8 Chevrolet driver has scored five top 10s, including two runner-up finishes and a third-place result.
“Heading into Martinsville under the cutline is not where we envisioned ourselves, but we’ve been strong here in the past, and this No. 8 Pilot team is hungry to advance to the Champ 4,” Smith said. “Just like Talladega last week (where Smith finished ninth), anything can happen on these short tracks, so we just need to be smart and keep our nose clean. If we can do that, I see no reason why we won’t be right where we need to be at the end of the race.”
In two Martinsville starts (the last two spring races), Kvapil has finished fourth and 20th.
Auguring what could be an all-Chevrolet Championship 4, Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing is 40 points above the elimination line and likely to advance.
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Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver Brandon Jones, a 2022 winner at “the Paperclip,” has the best chance to break the Chevrolet monopoly. Jones is 20 points below the cut, but he has posted five top 10s and two poles in 10 Martinsville starts.
With Aric Almirola winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Austin Hill taking the checkered flag at Talladega Superspeedway, the field for the Owner’s Championship has already been set. Those two drivers will compete against Zilisch and Allgaier for the owner’s title.